Summer 2022 · Torch: U.S. · INTERVIEW WITH JENNY HU
26
How do you see the future of classical studies changing as our generation pursues further studies? For instance, people like you have been proposing eye-opening solutions as more and more critique the traditional take on classics, and soon these once students will be teachers.
Jenny Hu: "That’s really important. I’d spoken with a professor a while back, I think during 2020 or 2021, and she said that if we look at academia, classics is one of the few fields that is still run and taught the way it was in the 1800s. That was really striking to me. I was like, 'Wait, hold on.' She pointed out the texts we read, the way we studied those texts; it really hasn't changed, and I think that's one of the biggest things that we want to see moving forward: reading these texts through a modern lens, reading these texts as people who understand how far society has come since these texts were written. It's so important that as we deal with Caesar we recognize the truth of the atrocities he committed. As we read all sorts of these texts, we must understand that we can't glorify these authors, just sweep their horrible actions under a rug, and be like, 'Oh, but they're the pinnacle of civilization.' We can't do that. We need to view these with a more critical lens, and that doesn’t mean demonizing the classical authors, not at all, that doesn't mean not reading these texts, in fact it's more important than ever that we do read these texts, but just studying them in a more objective light actually allows us to get more out of them. And I think when we do read texts and study the classics in this manner we’ll also see more and more diverse voices and more different voices finding a place within the field because those are the voices that have the perspectives that we need right now."
Lastly, before we depart, you have published this document on several forums, and now the Torch: U.S. is there anything delegates and states reading this can do to help spread knowledge of your suggestions?
Jenny Hu: "An earlier version of the document got passed around on Twitter a while back and some Latin teacher Facebook groups. I'm a huge fan of Latin teacher Facebook groups. If there are Latin teachers that want to share this document in their Facebook groups that would be amazing. I think just making sure that as many eyes as possible get on it and that the eyes that can end up making changes see this document is really important. I would encourage states, state officers, and state boards to consider making some sort of a decision to affirm what was stated and some of the recommendations or to make a commitment to furthering DEI in their states. I think the biggest struggle with this document was at the state level, being able to have it put out on the state level and put out as a document endorsed by the OJCL. There were some problems there, but I think it's really important that we try and get state boards and state chapters to make a commitment and to say that they want to further DEI and that they want to make this organization a more inclusive place and make more people feel welcome."